Will the changes to the earth caused by the earthquake affect GPS accuracy?
I was wondering if the changes made to the earth, like rotation speed, angle inclination and changes on terrain depth will affect GPS accuracy? I understand that the satellites are geostationary, but maybe this is a good reason to check all the previous saved points.
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Didn’t have the answer off the top of my head, but being a good librarian here you go.
For most civilian GPS units it probably won’t make that much (or any, really) difference as they are not that precise. For example the Chilean ‘quake last year caused the earth to shift by 3 inches but most GPS recievers are only accurate to between 1–10m. If you’re surrounded by enough tall buildings or mountains then the accuracy drops off even further.
@Lightlyseared From the above cited article:
“While such a small change won’t cause people to change their clocks, the dramatic shift in geography will require updates to GPS devices and maps which rely on GPS coordinates. Japan has a network of 1,200 GPS monitoring stations across the country. These stations detected a maximum displacement of 13 feet with an average displacement of 8 feet recorded over a 300 mile area. Elevation in some areas has also changed including the coastline resulting in water depth changes of about 3 feet. As a result, GPS coordinates on maps, driving directions, property records and nautical charts are just some of the items which will need to be updated.”
re: These stations detected a maximum displacement of 13 feet with an average displacement of 8 feet
and
GPS coordinates on maps, driving directions, property records and nautical charts are just some of the items which will need to be updated
Holy moly! What a mess!
Just picking one thing out of the air – imagine the detailed maps of utility lines and pipes construction crews must avoid when digging. And now they’re all off by several feet. Ouch!
yes, exactly! I was thinking about all the archaeological work and how will it be affected
I was thinking about this today, good question and great article @janbb
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This earthquake cause a slight increase in the Earth’s rotation, and actually moved a Japanese island 12 feet!
There will be very small changes, but not so much that most of us would notice.
Good question. I wonder how Galileo will handle this in the future.
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